Volunteer day to be held at Harvey Moore wildlife sanctuary
He is known as Prince Edward Island's first naturalist whose forward thinking helped provide wildlife a safe refuge.
Harvey Moore purchased 115 acres of land on the north branch of the Sturgeon River in 1949 so ducks and geese would have a place to rest.
"He had this vision of having a safe staging area for waterfowl to come and do their thing and continue migrating," said Jackie Bourgeois of the Southeast Environmental Association.
The association has taken over ownership of the land and have plans to carry on his legacy in the Harvey Moore Wildlife Sanctuary. On July 2 they are holding a volunteer day to get extra help to finish up a few projects to make the area more welcoming.
The event is from 1:30 to 4 p.m
Created ponds
After Moore purchased the property, he created two ponds for the waterfowl.
"The first year I think it was a couple of birds and the next year was more birds and they just kept coming in the thousands," said Bourgeois.
After Moore's death, friends kept his dream alive until the Southeast Environmental Association was approached to help four years ago.
"We started with a little bit of money to upgrade the trails, they had grown over a little bit and some of them are wet. But aside from that they are absolutely fantastic trails."
Raise profile
Bourgeois said they group is now working to raise the profile of the sanctuary including putting up new signs so people can find the site and enjoy it.
While there are plans to build an interpretive centre, the Southeast Environmental Association wants to make sure it is sustainable in the long term.
Bourgeois said the sanctuary is a draw for birders, photographers, fishers, and those who want to enjoy nature trails.
"The trails are one of the biggest assets. We have three beautiful trails that go around both ponds."
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